[Bored chemist]

Fair enough.
Can I ask why the page about sanitising cleaners which  Phil cites says this "The data requirements outlined herein do not apply to sodium-calcium hypochlorites, sodium-potassium dichloro-s-triazinetriones or trlchloro-s-triazinetrione"

[Geezer]

Would my comment about Howard Hughes fall into the "catty", or the "snarky", category?

(Come to think of it, "Catty and Snarky" sounds like a pretty good name for a cartoon series. I better nip down to the trademark office and register it before Matt shrinks this post.)

[imatfaal]

Would my comment about Howard Hughes fall into the "catty", or the "snarky", category?

(Come to think of it, "Catty and Snarky" sounds like a pretty good name for a cartoon series. I better nip down to the trademark office and register it before Matt shrinks this post.)

Please note amended post above - I think name, date and sign are all that are required. :-)

[Phil1907]

Sure bored - the risk is that contaminated laundry may act as a fomite carrying viable pathogens in numbers sufficient to cause disease from a contaminated source to a susceptible individual exposed to laundry during or after laundry process - per old story think smallpox/blankets/indians.  Risk assessment would consider pathogenicity, infectious dose, mitigation (disinfection, dilution/heat in washing), susceptibility of hosts, etc.  High risk would be for example Clostridium difficile in hospital and nursing home operations.  In modern households, risk would probably be episodic and low.   In US, products are marketed to both scenarios and in both must satisfy EPA criteria and registration.

[Bored chemist]

So, you say "Any risk would probably come with transfer of wet clothes to the dryer.".
Now I know that ordinary washing won't sterilise things, but it does remove gross dirt. That's what it's for.
And In another thread you have pointed out that many bugs will be unaffected by sunlight because they are hiding in this same dirt - and that's clearly true.
So it's clear that removing that dirt removes a lot of bugs.
You also rightly point out that washing is an important mitigating factor.

So surely the clothing poses more of a risk when you put it into the wash, rather than when you take  it out?

In other words, your assertion was not only poorly constructed but plainly wrong.

Is that why  it took you so long to reply to the question Cheryl asked?

Incidentally, how long do you plan to wait before answering my question about hypochlorite?

BTW, you really need to give up sending rude personal messages- they don't contribute a lot to the world.